Recommended by Ava Love Hanna

Nora Louise Syran offers a deeply atmospheric piece that tells a story-within-a-story of love, loss, and regret. Syran’s weaving of past moments into the present creates a richly layered play that feels like navigating the actual waves of grief and memory. Her use of sensory transitions, shifting from the cool blue of the present to the golden glow of the past, is stunning. This is a beautiful high-concept piece that I'd love to see on stage.

Mathew Green’s Amygdala, or The Rabbit is a poignant and darkly humorous exploration of the ways we process and actively avoid grief. Green packs a surprising amount of emotional weight into a short, surreal encounter between a grieving daughter and the carrot-chomping hallucination of her dead mother in a bunny suit. The dialogue is sharp, intellectual, and rich with subtext. Their relationship is so layered and engaging that I'd love to see these characters expanded into a full-length script.

Kaily Anderson’s State and Superior is a brilliantly meta dark comedy exploring the elusiveness of truth. Based on a bizarre real-life 911 call, the play moves from absurd realism to a theatrical exploration including a hilarious "Groundhog Dream Ballet." With a small cast and minimal set, Anderson offers a layered, existential romp that feels much bigger than its footprint. It's a deeply funny, imaginative ensemble piece that I'd love to see on stage.

This is the kind of play you read and think, "Wow, this might be THE perfect short comedy." Everything Brian Rust writes is smart and deeply funny, but A Midsummer Night's Cryptid is a rare gem: a clever, pun-filled parody that manages to be both a love letter to Midsummer and a complete subversion of it. It's witty, as charming as the original play, and offers pure, unadulterated fun. Absolutely demand to see this on stage.

In Old Agatha's Spell, Ty Spencer Hoppe has crafted an irreverent dark comedy that keeps the audience guessing up until the very end. This is a fun choice for theaters looking for a short, punchy comedy with strong female roles, physical humor, and a dark edge. I saw this produced as part of the ScriptWorks Out of Ink showcase and it was a crowd pleaser.

In Rosy Glow, Rachel Zake crafts a hauntingly beautiful monologue rich with Southern lyricism. Just as Maxine and her brother knew to stop at the edge of the shadowy woods, Zake allows Maxine to carry us from warm, 'rosy' childhood memories into the shadowy edge of domestic abuse and back out again with a chillingly calm reveal. An excellent piece and a strong role for any actress.

It's not every day that I reach the end of a play and immediately want to read it again. KING OF FIRES is a beautifully constructed play that is all at once surreal, poetic, and deeply moving. Harlan anchors the story with the eruption of a volcano and uses that event as a visceral metaphor for the tumult of growing up. While geared towards young audiences, this play is for all ages. I'm absolutely blown away and would love to see this staged!

There are a few things that I absolutely love: variations of the Persephone myth, ten minute plays that tell a rich, layered story, and twist endings -- and Scott Sickles gives us all three in this smart, dark drama. LITTLE KNOWN RITES OF SPRING brilliantly weaves together a complex mother-daughter relationship and turns it into a gut-wrenching study of ethics and power. A perfect modern retelling of a classic story.

In A FIT OF PIQUE, Mark Harvey Levine offers us a hilarious, fast-paced farce packed with physical humor. The script starts strong and evolves into a smart critique of the male gaze and the literal suffering women endure for unrealistic beauty standards. Annie and Lisa’s touching moment at the end adds a perfect layer of heart to this high-energy, high-concept piece. An excellent opportunity to showcase a strong female lead. I'd love to see this on stage.

In HEARTSTRINGS CAFE, Fred Tacon offers us a deeply funny and relatable play about the challenges of dating as a socially awkward adult. He brilliantly uses his lead as both a hilariously intrusive coffee shop musician and a one-man Greek chorus. Despite a simple set and small cast, Tacon creates a richly layered short play that hits all the right notes. Bonus points for referencing 80's gems like Danger Mouse, TMNT, and C.O.P.S.!